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Women are more likely than men to say 'please' to their smart speaker:
Here's an interesting stat from the Pew Research Center: more than half of smart speaker owners in the US (54 percent) report saying "please" at least occasionally to their AI assistants, with one-in-five (19 percent) saying please frequently. Curiously, the question of AI politeness also breaks down along gender lines, with 62 percent of women reporting that they say "please" at least sometimes, versus 45 percent for men.
Why that might be?
One possible answer is that men are generally ruder to women, and this latter category now includes AI assistants coded as female. Experts have long noted that the design choices for AI bots could have misogynist effects by reinforcing gender stereotypes. "Because the speech of most voice assistants is female, it sends a signal that women are ... docile and eager-to-please helper," a report from the UN noted earlier this year.
It could also be that men just have different attitudes to technology. Culturally speaking, tech is coded as practical and manly, and contrasted with "feminine" disciplines. Studies show men feel more comfortable with technology, and express more interest in "mastering" it as a tool. These biases could be affecting the issue of politeness to AI.
Sadly, Pew didn't ask respondents why they felt they had to say please or not to these bots, so we can only speculate on the topic. But the broader issue is certainly an interesting one: do you need to be polite to AI assistants?
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @04:29AM (1 child)
As for men being ruder than women. I'm a guy and more guys hold doors open (for me or other people) than women hold doors open, whether they're normal doors or elevator doors. Women are more likely to stand passively next to the elevator buttons and not move a finger to keep the doors open for people coming in or getting out. BUT many women invest far more hours and $$$ on their nails etc. So is it really them being rude? There are many people in wheelchairs who can actually stand up, it just costs them a lot more (pain, effort, etc); so are they rude for not standing up when standing up would "be polite"?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @04:41AM
I am a man and I also hold the door open for men and women of all genders.
But the ultimate Chad move is still: thanking the bus driver.